When people talk about the shortcomings of theSoul Eateranime, most people talk about the ending, which diverged from the manga, but what about the start of the series? Looking back, it’s not hard to imagine that many dropped the series before it could even begin thanks to a prologue that seems intent on weeding out viewers who live by the classic three-episode-test.
Soul Eateraired in 2008, directed by Takuya Igarashi and animated by Studio Bones, which by all accounts is amatch made in heaven thanks to the former’s styleand the latter’s pool of talent. Make no mistake, this series earns much of the love it has received since it aired, but it might take a bit longer than usual for it to truly make the most of its characters.
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The Good
If there’s one thing that these premiere episodes get right, it is the animation and art design; a testament to the creative team working behind it and the time in the industry in which it was made. As has been written here before,it’s hard to imagineSoul Eaterbeing made todayin quite the same way, even if Igarashi was still the director.
The premiere kicks into high gear early on with a fight scene animated by Yutaka Nakamura, in which the lead, Maka, and her scythe, the titular Soul Eater, battle Jack the Ripper. Each swing of Jack’s claws or Maka’s scythe has weight behind it that comes through cleanly, and the choreography is fast, in tune with Taku Iwasaki’s electric rock soundtrack.
Furthermore, the very world ofSoul Eateris baffling in its very conception, yet the artwork commits to it almost too effectively. It’s clearly meant to be a Halloween mirror of our own world, completely divorced from time, where Jack the Ripper and Al Capone both exist in the same era. The sun and moon have creepy smiling faces and even the trees or the bollards lining the pier are adorned with eyes.It’s bizarre, funny, and rather charming, depending on one’s taste.
It has the look of a show that skews towards younger audiences and if it weren’t for the blood and sexual content, either spoken or shown, it wouldn’t be hard to treat it as such. But given the clash between the look and content, one ofSoul Eater’s first mysteries is exactly who the show is for. To be fair, a lot of anime strike a balance between kid-friendly and mature, thus keenly targeting a teen demographic, but it’s not just the visuals that make this show seem juvenile.
The Bad
Soul Eater’s first three episodes are prologues introducing the main cast of Weapon Meisters and their respective scythes. These self-contained stories have rather simple dilemmas that spell out these characters' flaws. Maka and Soul sometimes have trouble being in sync.Black Star’s ego and lack of discretionbetray his skill as a ninja. Death the Kid is already a grim reaper, but his obsession with perfection makes him… a lot to deal with.
It’s clear what these episodes are trying to accomplish. They are trying to serve as a thesis of sorts for the whole series but don’t do so in a very compelling way. In fact, by trying to simplify these characters and their quirks, the story makes it easy to find them kind of annoying, as the writing exacerbates their worst qualities.
Episode 1’s bigger problem is its ham-fisted exposition. Maka and Soul begin the series with almost all the souls they need for Maka to become a grim reaperand Soul a death scythe. Despite having collected, at minimum, 98 other evil souls beforehand, they feel the need to spell out what they’re doing, mostly for the audience’s benefit.
The rest of the premiere follows a similar pattern of exposition-heavy dialog that’s occasionally saved by the visual comedy. All the action is great, but it’s hard to be as invested when the stories are so predictable, no matter how much the voice actors are giving it their all. Soul and Maka’s episode creates a forced tension that culminates in a “betrayal” all too obviously a fakeout to grab the viewer.
Clarity is never an issue; these characters are easy to understand. They each have flaws,but thanks to their bonds, they’re able to show that they’re not so one-note as they appear at the beginning. The trouble is that - as said before - it all feels very forced. Black Star being intentionally obnoxious doesn’t make him not annoying. Death the Kid being a badass in spite of his obsessive tendencies doesn’t make him less annoying in the beginning.
Should You Skip It?
What’s especially bizarre about these three episodes is that from episode four and onwards, the storytelling gets a lot better or at the very least takes its time a bit more. Furthermore, the same flaws that plague these characters in the prologue chaptersare explored better in more entertaining episodes later on.
Maka and Soul’s troubles with synchronizing play a big role in the arc directly following the prologue, as they have trouble achieving soul resonance. Furthermore, despite how fun the fight between Black Star and Mifune is in Episode 2, the Uncanny Sword Arc does Black Star way more favors in terms of character portrayal, to say nothing of how it deepens Tsubaki as a character.
There is a temptation to advise new viewers ofSoul Eaterto skip the first three episodes altogether. Speaking personally, it took me about four attemptsto really get into the series, and only when I skipped right to Episode 4 did I finally start watching more of the series. With that said, even with how aggravating, cheesy, and ham-fisted these first episodes can be, there is a lot of excellent animation that deserves to be appreciated.
As such, the best advice for those who have never seen the series and who want to give it a shot, and if you may’t get into it, skip the first three episodes and watch from there. For those that already tried and dropped it, maybe pick it up around Episode 4 and see how you feel. But bear in mind, this isn’t going to fundamentally change the series.
The style of comedy is the same, as is the funky art direction and the overall cartoonish vibe that made this show sucha perfect addition to Cartoon Network’s Toonami lineup. If those elements are what irks you, skipping the prologue might not change a thing. However, the writing definitely improves, and the characters are free to develop at a pace far less rushed.
Soul Eater’s characters are fun, lovable, and pretty cool, and it’s the reason this series became as beloved as it was, but the start of the show just does not sell the series well. The animation is as great as it is across the whole series, but if fans have learned anything from the anime’s ending, it’s that even the best animation won’t make up for a story that makes poor use of its characters.
